34 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 21 
VAN DEMAN’S FRUIT NOTES. 
Grafting Old Plum Trees.—W ill a graft grow to amount to 
anything In an old plum tree ? 8. f. m. 
Jackson, Mich. 
Speaking generally, I would say that it would not 
pay to graft an old plum tree. The union is nearly 
always poor, and there is trouble with the grafts 
breaking off when loaded with fruit, if not before. If 
the tree is not very old and is vigorous, it might be 
well to graft it; otherwise, I would advise planting a 
young tree instead. 
Tree Fruits for Small Place.—I have one acre, and I wish to 
plant six each of peach, pear, cherry and apple trees. What 
kinds would you advise ? t. c. 
Cayuga, Ind. 
Fora small family orchard, as is evidently intended 
by T. C., there should be such a selection as will ripen 
in succession, from early to late. Of the peach, one 
each of Triumph, Bishop, Mountain Rose, Elberta, 
Oldmixon Free and Heath Cling. Of cherry trees, two 
each of Early Richmond, Montmorency and English 
Morello. Of pears, one each of Tyson, Clapp, Howell, 
Seckel, Anjou and Lawrence. If dwarf pear trees are 
chosen and planted so deep as to enable them to 
throw out pear roots above the quince stock, they will 
bear as early as dwarf trees normally do, and then 
become what is called half-standard trees, and con¬ 
tinue their growth and bearing much longer than if 
the pear roots did not grow. Among the best apples 
are Early Harvest, Red June, Fanny, Jefferis, Grimes 
Golden and York Imperial. 
Two-Year Seedling Apple Trees — I am living on a rented 
farm, and wish to start some apple trees to have large enough 
to transplant when I get a farm of my own. I have a lot of sev¬ 
eral hundred seedling trees, two years old next Spring, from two 
to five feet high, with tap roots two feet long, and some three- 
fourths inch in diameter. Is this the right age and size of stock 
for root grafts ? How long should the piece of root be ? Is it best 
to use long or short scions ? When the rows are three feet apart, 
how close should the grafts be planted in the row ? c d. t. 
Flinton, Pa. 
Seedling apple trees two years old are sometimes 
used as stocks to cut up and make grafts of their 
roots ; but those described by C. D. Y. are quite large 
for such use. I have succeeded very well with two- 
year-old stocks, but they were not larger than half an 
inch at the largest part of the root. Without having 
actually tested setting scions on larger roots, I am 
unable to say that they would not grow and make 
good trees. One-year-old seedlings are almost uni¬ 
versally used for making root grafts, and the prefer¬ 
able size is such as are a little larger than a lead pencil 
for a distance of six or more inches below the collar. 
The best length to cut pieces of roots is from four to 
six inches, although shorter cuts will make very good 
grafts In setting the grafts, the rows should be 
four feet apart and the grafts eight inches apart in 
the row. 
Apricots and Lady Apples. —1. Will the apricot thrive and fruit 
where the peach does ? 2. Which variety or varieties would you 
recommend,-especially in regard to hardiness ? 3. Does the Lady 
apple succeed in Orange County, N. Y., and will it succeed as a 
dwarf ? At what age will it bear as a standard ? A. h. s. 
New York. 
1. Apricot trees are no less tender, as a rule, than 
peach trees, but the blossoms are often killed by frost 
because they come out so early in Spring. Another very 
diseouiaging fact is the almost universal destruction 
of the fruit by the curculio. There are some sections 
in New York where the apricot does fairly well, pro¬ 
vided the trees are jarred sufficiently to catch the cur¬ 
culio before the eggs are laid. 2. The Shense is said 
to be the hardiest of the varieties of the apricot, al¬ 
though Breda and Moorpark usually endure the Win¬ 
ters of the peach sections. 3. The Lady apple suc¬ 
ceeds in Orange County, N. Y., and elsewhere in the 
ordinary apple-growing sections. It does very well 
as a dwarf. This variety is not an early bearer, or a 
very productive one, notwithstanding that the apples 
are very small. In my experience, the trees did not 
begin to bear much under 10 years of age. 
Long-Keeping Apple for Washington State.— I wish to buy a 
few apple trees, wish the best, if I can buy but one tree, and one 
that keeps till May 1. Will York Imperial do? Will you name 
what is considered the best red long-keeper? Would you advise 
me to buy either Champion or Commerce ? a. a p. 
Kerns, Wash. 
York Imperial is perhaps about the best red Winter 
variety of good quality and size that will keep late. 
It has been grown but little in the State of Washing¬ 
ton, but all that have been grown there tend to prove 
that it is a very valuable apple in that section, both 
for market and family use. It may not keep until 
May 1 there in all places and every year, but it is a 
better keeper than Baldwin where both have long 
been grown together farther east. The varieties 
which are being advertised by a western nursery firm 
under the names Champion and Commerce are not 
well tested anywhere as yet, except it may be, in the 
immediate vicinity of their origin in Arkansas. They 
may prove to be valuable over a much wider terri¬ 
tory. I have examined the fruit of both, and think 
them of fair quality and handsome appearance. The 
names which have been adopted for them as the 
proper ones, because of their first use and better ac¬ 
cordance with the rules of pomological nomenclature, 
are Collins instead of Champion, and Beach instead of 
Commerce. Some think that the latter should be 
called Highfill in honor of the man who introduced it. 
Seeding an Apple Orchard. —My apple trees grow entirely too 
fast, and do not bear. With what could I seed the orchard to 
check their growth, and not hurt the trees ? They were planted 
in 1892, on black Illinois prairie soil. The ground slopes to the 
west about three feet in 100 yards, and has a wide, open ditch at 
each end and the north side 18 to 24 inches deep. On the edge of 
this ditch was a row of Red cedars planted four feet apart; they 
are about eight feet high now, and make a good windbreak. The 
apple trees were rootgrafted and were planted 12 to 18 inches 
deeper than before. They have low heads. I cut the vigorous 
shoots back one-quarter to one-half, rub all sprouts off before 
they are three inches long, keep the inside open and clean, and 
give them clean culture. What kind of grass is best ? Did the 
deep planting hurt them? What better are budded apple trees 
than rootgrafted ones ? h. h. b. 
Millikin, Ill. 
Orchard grass is best to put in an orchard, because 
it does not make a compact sod, but grows in bunches ; 
but grass of any kind is a harbor for mice, which in¬ 
jure orchard trees. The spaces near the bases of the 
trees should always be kept clear of all trash and 
grass that the mice may not be induced there. The 
plan followed by which the trees were set 12 to 18 
inches deeper than they stood in the nursery, was bad. 
In some soils, it would kill the trees, and I have known 
that to be done. In loose or sandy subsoil, there 
would be much less danger of injury than in tough, 
clay ground. The trouble is, that the roots are too 
deep in the ground, where they cannot have the nor¬ 
mal amount of warmth and air. The starting out of 
new roots above the original ones is an evidence of this. 
These secondary roots are usually of no more value 
than, and often not as much, as the first ones. In my 
opinion, budded apple trees are no better than those 
grown from good root grafts. By the latter, I mean 
that the grafts should be made from thrifty scions set 
on five or six-inch upper cuts of first-class apple 
seedlings. 
Planting Plum and Apple Suckers.— 1. Would plum or apple 
suckers grow by cutting with some roots on them? 2. Would 
they bear the natural fruit, or would they need grafting? 3. 
What do you think about grafting cherry on small wild cherry 
stocks ? Would they be a success ? 4. What is a good fertilizer 
for onions Instead of barn manure ? t p. 
1. It used to be a very common practice to grub up 
suckers from various kinds of fruit trees and plant 
new orchards with them. As good trees are now very 
cheap and easy to get, it rarely pays to bother with 
them, except it may be, in the case of some kinds of 
plums. Even the latter become very troublesome by 
sprouting, and the very fact that a tree sends up 
sprouts is a sure indication that its progeny will do 
the same. It is rare that sprouts may be found with 
well-balanced roots, but the native plums and sour 
cherries are more likely to have good roots than any 
other fruits that I have planted in this way. 2. It is 
quite probable that the trees grown from such sprouts 
would bring the same kind of fruit as that grown on 
the parent trees, and they would surely do so if the 
old trees were not grown from grafts or buds, and 
they would do so, too, if the suckers came from roots 
that started out above the grafts or buds. 3. No, do 
not waste any time or trouble trying to graft the cul¬ 
tivated cherries on stocks of any of the native wild 
cherries. I have tried it repeatedly and failed in all 
cases, except in a very few in which the union 
was very poor. 4. Soil for onions is greatly im¬ 
proved by applying liberally such compositions as are 
rich in nitrogenous elements, and at the same time 
have a good share of potash and phosphoric acid. A 
little book on onions by Gregory will give the neces¬ 
sary directions in detail, and it may be had of The 
R. N.-Y., price 30 cents. 
FREAKS AMONG SMALL FRUITS. 
ODD THINGS ON CANE AND VINE. 
Second Blackberry Crop.— Five or six years ago, 
our Snyder and Taylor blackberries bloomed at the 
usual time, but not so heavily as usual. The plants 
seemed to be ashamed of their first efforts, for later 
on, they bloomed again, and bore a second crop late 
in September. This crop was on the same canes that 
bore the other crop, the canes that grew the year be¬ 
fore. It was about three weeks later than the first 
crop, and was very large and fine fruit. I can account 
for this only on the theory that some condition of the 
weather coming on after the first effort, forced the 
canes to take up more nourishment than was neces¬ 
sary for the first crop of fruit, and it cropped out in 
more blossoms and fruit. No fertilizer had been 
applied for a year or so. 
Tlie Golden Queen Raspberry is a sport of the 
Cuthbert. It was found growing in a patch of Cuth- 
berts. I never quite believed that it was a sport of 
the Cuthbert until I found a berry that was half red and 
half golden. Has any one else ever found a raspberry 
half Cuthbert and half Golden Queen ? It was in a 
patch of Golden Queen, and there were no Cuthberts 
or other raspberries near. The quality of Golden Queen 
is different from that of Cuthbert. This is why I could 
not believe it a sport of the Cuthbert. Does the color 
of a berry have anything to do with its flavor ? 
Suckers and Tips. —Blackcaps root only from the 
tips, or are supposed to. I have found sucker plants 
of the Columbian raspberry (purple), and in digging 
up an old patch of blackcaps (Gregg and Kansas) we 
found that the piece roots left in the ground would 
grow into plants. Red raspberries are supposed to 
renew only by suckers, yet I believe that there are 
varieties that could be bred into producing plants 
from the tip. Caroline (white) suckers sparingly, and 
makes weak plants from the tip ends of the canes. 
Joseph T. Thompson (originator of Columbian) told 
me that he has a true red raspberry that roots from 
the tips. 
Second Growth Columbians.—A peculiar trait 
of the Columbian raspberry has interested me ever 
since I have been familiar with the variety. It was 
claimed by the originator when the berry was intro¬ 
duced that, if the canes were frozen dead or broken 
off so that they could not fruit, another set of canes 
would come up from the roots, and bear a crop the 
same season. This we have found to be true. More¬ 
over, the crop of berries from these canes that grow 
the same season that they bear is entirely different in 
shape from the crop that grows from the canes that 
grew the year before. They are larger, longer and more 
pointed, quite closely resembling Cuthbert in shape. 
The Fall Bearing of raspberries and strawberries 
is, I believe, due to some stoppage in the growth of 
the plant. A period of drought, followed by a change 
to warm, moist weather, or vice versa, will upset the 
natural growth of the plant, and force it into fruit¬ 
ing. Nature seems first to try to reproduce herself, 
and if prevented from doing this, her next attention 
is directed to the production of fruit. We find fruit 
of strawberries on plants that have not, for some 
reason, made many new plants, and on the young run¬ 
ners that have been prevented from rooting readily. 
In blackcap raspberries, we find nice fruit on the ends 
of the canes that have stopped growth abruptly, or 
have been prevented from reaching the earth to root. 
A stoppage of the natural growth of the plant induces 
the formation of fruit Excessive fertilization with 
potash will sometimes cause a crop of strawberries in 
the Fall. A few years ago, a neighbor had a large 
crop of Haverland and Jessie strawberries in Septem¬ 
ber on a piece that had been heavily potashed, and 
bore a large crop the Spring preceding. The Jessie, 
Enhance, Burt and Parker Earle are more likely to 
bear in the Fall than others. I cannot account for 
this fact. L. J. FARMER. 
Oswego County, N. Y. 
BUDS. 
A Reader in Florida calls for Dakota Red potatoes for seed. 
He says that, on muck land in the South, this variety does best, 
and also for the Fall crop. 
M. Crawford, the famous strawberry grower of Ohio, is re¬ 
ported as saying that the Vineless strawberry will not become 
popular. It was hoped that this variety would fill a desirable 
place in strawberry culture, but Mr. Crawford evidently thinks 
it will prove merely a curious novelty. 
The Best Apple Stocks. —I have had no extended experience 
with the Woolly aphis, and have never made a study of the dif¬ 
ferent stocks upon which it feeds. I like the Northern Spy for 
stocks upon which to work other varieties of apples, because it 
is a straight and thrifty grower, has a deep root system, and is 
hardy. There may be other varieties as good. I am using both 
Northern Spy and American Golden Russet for this purpose. 
L. H. BAILEY. 
Grafting Gooseberries — H. Z. asks whether the gooseberry 
can be grafted on the currant, of last year’s growth, and when 
is the best time to get the cuttings, and to graft. They have a 
gooseberry, called the Coplin Seedling, that can’t be propagated 
from slips. It is the largest gooseberry that grows. Currants 
may be grafted on gooseberries and vice versa. The cuttings 
may be taken at any time the plants are dormant. Spring, just 
before the buds start, is the best time for grafting. 
Chas. Wright, of Delaware, speaking of the possibilities of 
growing strawberry plants in that section, says that one year on 
less than 10 acres of land, he produced 5,000,000 plants. No man¬ 
ure or fertilizer of any kind was used; the land was poor and 
sandy, and had grown a crop of sweet potatoes. He says that 
he dug by actual count, from 1,000 plants of Michel’s Early, 60,000 
plants for sale, besides a large number for planting. Michel’s 
Early is a great plant-maker, but Mr. Wright says he can do 
nearly as well with Bubach or Parker Earle. This shows the 
possibilities in plant culture, for the light Delaware soil. 
A New Fruit Law. —We need a law in New York State, permit¬ 
ting fruit inspectors to condemn and prohibit the sale of fruit 
infected with injurious insects or disease. The Californians have 
already made a move in this direction. At first, I thought it too 
radical a procedure; but the longer I consider it, the more I am 
impressed with the belief that no measure will do more towards 
arousing fruit growers from their indifference to the eradication 
of such pests and the production of perfectly sound fruit, than a 
measure of this kind. If they are not allowed to sell the inferior 
stuff, they will either grow better fruit, or none, and thus im¬ 
measurably advance our horticultural interests. s. 
